Sustainability has always been a primary concern in the way Chiesi operates and has increasingly become a focus with a view to shared value. Today, it represents a crucial element of the strategic vision of the company, which is committed to:
This is the reason for the “ACT - We Actively Care for Tomorrow” programme, set up as an expression of Chiesi’s desire to take care of society and the environment through awareness-raising projects and by actively involving all of our people.
This sustainability programme involves various initiatives aimed at adopting a truly sustainable business approach, in which strategy and sustainability go hand in hand and align with Chiesi’s values and mission to combine commitment to results with integrity, operating in a responsible manner both from a social and environmental point of view.
We want to use business as a force for good and in May 2019 we became the biggest global pharmaceutical company to obtain the B Corp certification. In December 2018, some time before this important event, we changed our legal status and company articles to Benefit Company, introduced in Italy with law no. 208/2015 and in the US with the Model Benefit Corporation Legislation [1] (Delaware). Find out more about B Corps and Benefit Companies by clicking here.
Our approach is based on the fundamentally important Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) promoted by the United Nations, which clearly identify the priorities our company is required to work towards in order to ensure peace, prosperity and justice for everyone. Since 2019, this approach has been incorporated into a more specific framework. We are in fact among the top companies using SDG managers to assess our actual contribution made towards achieving these goals. To find out more please consult our 2019 Sustainability Report.
In addition, we believe we are able to contribute to achieving 9 specific SDGs by employing our skills, competences and available resources.
Inspired by the kind of analysis proposed by the renowned US economist and essayist, Jeffrey Sachs, our approach is illustrated using four key elements, which enable us to achieve an overall alignment of the business with the United Nations 2030 Agenda SDGs: products and patients, processes, global value chain and Corporate citizenship. We are committed to enhancing the value of the results achieved in our daily work but also to identifying and highlighting the challenges we have yet to meet and overcome.
[1] Delaware DEL. CODE ANN. tit. 8, §§ 361-368 (2019)